Low power and Lossy Networks (LLNs), e.g., sensor networks, have a myriad of applications, such as Smart Grid and Smart Cities. Various challenges are presented with LLNs, such as lossy links, low bandwidth, battery operation, low memory and/or processing capability, etc. One example routing solution to LLN challenges is a protocol called Routing Protocol for LLNs or “RPL,” which is a distance vector routing protocol that builds a Destination Oriented Directed Acyclic Graph (DODAG, or simply DAG) in addition to a set of features to bound the control traffic, support local (and slow) repair, etc. The RPL architecture provides a flexible method by which each node performs DODAG discovery, construction, and maintenance.
Even with a well-intentioned routing protocol, however, it is worth noting that various misconfigurations and errors may arise in operation. For instance, though an in-use DAG may provide connectivity to all nodes, it may not conform to particular objective of the topology (e.g., low-latency). Alternatively, nodes in the network may not be connected to the DAG, or else loops may be created. In other words, errors in selecting a parent (or best next hop in general) by some nodes could lead to sub-optimal paths or a breakdown of portions of the network, neither of which are strictly local issues, but rather could impact all of the nodes attached to the faulty node by using the faulty node along their path to certain destinations.